Global Warming

Today is two days after Christmas and it's been 61f and t-shirts. Clear blue skies and just nice to be out. Last week we had temps as low as 10f in this area. It's Trumps fault.

Still playing with Infrared

New Toy!

Well not exactly new toy, more a modification to an old toy. Last year I needed a backup camera so I bought a used Sony A7R as Sony had just announced it's successor the A7RII. Well long story short, I really liked this camera, it's small, light and accepts a wide range of lenses from other manufacturers so I could use my Nikon lenses on it too. This year I purchased the A7RII so the old A7R was gathering dust. Now the question was, should I sell it or have it converted to Infrared. I pondered this question for a while and decided to go with the Infrared conversion. I got it back yesterday and although the weather is not exactly IR friendly and I'm still very much experimenting I like it. Heres an early attempt.

Front Yard IR

Conowingo Dam and Bald Eagles Part II

Yesterday being a bright but cold day we popped down over the Mason-Dixon Line to Maryland again to photograph the 65+ Bald Eagles that are currently residing below the Dam.

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Hanging out looking for fish

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Fish Spotting

Off to Eat Little Fishy

Not sure whats going on here.

Eagle on the Left had a fish.

Eagle on the Right now has the fish.

Daylight robbery or courtship?

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Ring-billed Gull

Bald Eagle

Chickadee Sp.

I gave up trying to identify Chickadee's a long while ago. We get two species, the more Southern Carolina Chickadee and the Northern Black-capped Chickadee. Trouble is they interbreed and we are slap bang in the middle of the zone where they interbreed. They can look like a Carolina but call like a Black-capped and vice versa. I've mislaid my DNA testing kit so this one is a Chickadee Sp. meaning who knows what the f*** it is.

Chickadee Sp.

Bluey at f2

Depth of Field or Depth of Focus if you will. I focused on Blueys right eye and even the left one is OOF (out of focus) such is the shallow depth of field at f2.

Bluey at f2

Patient Goldfinch

This little Goldfinch was patiently waiting it's turn at the bird table. It's been a while since I've photographed birds out of the window. It was reasonable lighting (enhanced by flash) so I thought I'd give it a shot as there wasn't a howling gale blowing from the West. I may even have a go tomorrow morning too.

American Goldfinch

Supposed to Rain Later

Weather forecast! Not a damn cloud in the sky. Still I can go out and get a few more leaves dealt with. I've still got lots of leaves on the trees, the Maples and Spicebush's are really yellow in the sunshine.

Maple

Ginny looking cute.

Oliver

He's my little green eyed monster.

Oliver

Conowingo Dam and Bald Eagles

If you follow the Susquehanna River downstream you cross the Mason-Dixon Line on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. Just a little way south of there is the Conowingo Dam which attracts large numbers of Bald Eagles at this time of year. When the dam releases water to generate electricity it stuns some of the fish and the Eagles pick the fish off the top of the water.

Conowingo Dam

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Juvenile Bald Eagle 

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle Banking

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bluey doing what Bluey does best

Relaxing. It's a hard life being a cat in our house. I got a new lens and of course I needed a willing subject to try it out. So Bluey it was.

Bluey

Over 10 Years Old.

I took this picture of the Cardinal out of the West facing window in February 2006. At the time I was using a Nikon D70s with a whopping 6.1 Mega Pixels. I used a Nikon 300mm f4 lens which I still have. Over 10 years old, who needs 36 or 42 Mega Pixels.

Northern Cardinal

Avalon and Cape May

Yesterday I finally got my sea air and got to walk on some sand. We went out to do a spot of seawatching at Avalon, New Jersey.  It was cold and windy but sheltered as we were it was just what I needed. We saw lots of Scoter, Black. Surf and White-winged, there were loads of Double Crested Cormorants and a solitary Great. Common and Red-throated Loons, Brant Geese and lots of Sanderling. We then went down to Cape May and had a look for a  Skimmer flock. Finally we went to the Hawkwatch and saw loads of Raptors. Very nice day out.

Avalon Seawatch

Black Skimmers

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer

Sanderling

Sanderling

American Widgeon

Ricketts Glen 3

Heres an HDR looking down Ganoga Glen in the early morning light.

Ganoga Glen

Ricketts Glen 2

A few more from yesterdays hike down and up the Ganoga Glen Trail (plus a bit of the Glen Leigh Trail). I tried to make sure I stayed properly hydrated and I even took a banana as a snack. It failed miserably as I woke at 11pm with horrendous leg cramps. An hour later, 3 glasses of water and 2 bananas I went back to sleep. It was worth it though, the colors were stunning in the sunshine.

Oneida Falls

Wyandot Falls

Mohawk Falls

Tuscarora Falls

Don't think it has a name.

Ricketts Glen 1

I survived. This is a just a taster of Ricketts Glen in mid October. I left home at 5:30am for the 2 and a bit hour drive to Ricketts Glen. It took me a bit longer due to a pit stop and a bite for breakfast. I met this little guy on the way down and stopped to take his picture. More to come.

Ganoga Glen

Green Frog 

Green Frog

No trip to Maine this year.

Regular readers of this blog (all 3 of you) will know that Maine is one of my most favorite places. Sadly not this year. Here's one from 2013 I think it was of waves breaking on Schoodic Peninsula, part of Acadia National Park. Sigh.

Black and White........

...... Cats. It's a very dull grey overcast Saturday morning, it might rain or it might not. In the meantime while it makes up it's mind heres a couple of Black and White Cats. Chickadee and Momma.

Chickadee

Momma

Late Butterflies

I spent a couple of hours up at the Hawkwatch again this afternoon and was photographing the butterflies on the Aster and Knapweed.

Clouded Sulphur

Monarch

Monarch

Variegated Fritillary

Variegated Fritillary